Helicopters in Nigeria

The rotorcraft scene in Nigeria

Offshore oil and gas crew-change flying dominates the civil fleet. Bristow Helicopters Nigeria runs its Sikorsky S-92 fleet from a Lagos base, and Caverton Helicopters flies from the NAF Base apron in Port Harcourt plus Lagos' Ozumba Sanni Heliport, Warri and Cameroon. Between them they carry most of the Niger Delta's crew-change traffic.

A second, smaller segment is VIP and government charter out of Lagos and Abuja. A third is just getting started: Kasi Healthcare's Airbus H135/H145-class order, announced at Airlift 2026, makes it the country's first dedicated helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) operator.

Maintenance is mostly kept in-house. Bristow holds an NCAA-approved Aircraft Maintenance Engineering type-rating training organisation, and Caverton runs third-party rotary and fixed-wing MRO plus an EASA-certified training facility from its Lagos base. Independent and private owners typically route heavier checks through one of these two AMOs, or through South African facilities, since third-party rotorcraft MRO capacity inside Nigeria is still limited.

Helicopter airports and heliports in Nigeria

Three bases handle almost all of the country's rotorcraft traffic.

Registering and importing a helicopter in Nigeria

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) issues the Certificate of Registration. Marks run 5N- followed by three letters, and the NCAA runs periodic verification exercises against undocumented or improperly imported private aircraft, so keep the paperwork current from day one.

Duty and VAT changed at the start of 2026. General customs duty on imports still ranges 5 to 35 percent by HS code, but the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 reimposed customs duty on imported aircraft and parts from 1 January 2026, ending the blanket exemption that used to apply to commercial-airline imports. A 7.5 percent VAT was reinstated on imported aircraft, parts and domestic tickets from the same date. ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme and Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme charges apply on top of duty and VAT even where an exemption exists elsewhere.

Treat any number here as a starting point, not a quote: confirm the exact HS code and landed cost with NCAA and the Nigeria Customs Service before signing anything. Our helicopter import to Nigeria guide walks through registration, duty and VAT step by step.

Which helicopters fit the Nigerian market

The Leonardo AW139 is the offshore and VIP workhorse, the type AvBuyer names as the single most-numerous turbine helicopter in Africa, concentrated in Nigerian and Angolan crew-change flying. For the new HEMS segment, the Airbus H145 is the type Kasi Healthcare has ordered, with a flat-floor cabin that reconfigures for a medical interior.

Outside offshore and HEMS work, a large legacy fleet of Bell 206 JetRangers and LongRangers keeps flying utility, training and VIP work, AvBuyer's second most-populous turbine type in Africa after the AW139. Buyers who want a modern glass-cockpit alternative in the same seat class usually look at the Bell 407GXi instead.